Freedom Crossing
Freedom Crossing

by

Margaret Goff Clark 

Summary:  

Laura had gone to live at her aunt and uncle's house in Virginia after her mother died.  After she moves back home with her dad, she overhears her brother helping a runaway slave to escape into Canada.  She realizes that her house is a part of the Underground Railroad that she has heard so much about.  Being raised in Virginia with her aunt and uncle, she believes that anyone who helps a slave runaway is breaking the law.   After she meets Martin Paige, the 12-year old runaway slave, and hears a different perspective, she realizes that she is now involved.    

Vocabulary and Code Words:

  • Abolitionist - person who demanded immediate emancipation of slaves
  • Agent - coordinator, plotting course of escape, making contacts
  • Conductors - people directly transporting fugitives
  • Drinking Gourd - North star
  • Freedom Train - Code for UGRR
  • Gospel Train -code for UGRR
  • Heaven - Canada
  • Load of Potatoes, Parcels, Bundles of Wool - code word meaning fugitives to be expected
  • Preachers - leaders, speakers for UGRR
  • Promised Land - Canada
  • Shepherds - people escorting escaping slaves
  • Station - place of safety and temporary refuge, safehouse
  • Station Master - keeper of safehouse
  • Stockholder - donor of money, clothing, food, etc to UGRR
  • "The wind blows from the South today" - warning of slave catchers nearby
  • "A friend with friends" - code, password used to signal arrival of fugitives with UGRR conductor
  • "The friend of a friend sent me" - code used by fugitives traveling alone to indicate they were sent by UGRR network
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    Book Activity developed by Lori Randall

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